United States
Paulson blames lack of time for Tarp u-turn
The US Treasury reneged on its earlier promise to buy banks' distressed assets because it ran out of time, Hank Paulson, the US treasury secretary told Congress on Tuesday.
Fed's Hoenig wants rules for Wall Street failures
A clear set of rules for handling investment bank bankruptcies is needed, said Thomas Hoenig, the president of the Kansas City Federal Reserve.
Economists back Bernanke
Private-sector economists have come out in strong support of Ben Bernanke, the embattled chairman of the Federal Reserves, suggesting that the new Obama administration should reappoint him in January 2010.
Paulson continues Tarp U-turn
Henry Paulson, the US secretary of the treasury, has signaled a further shift in the way the administration will use the $700 billion at its disposal under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (Tarp), by saying purchasing bad assets from financial…
Historic shift for financial sector - Fed's Warsh
We are witnessing perhaps the fastest, most significant structural shift in the history of the financial services sector, said Kevin Warsh, a governor at the Federal Reserve.
US inflation not persistent
A new paper from the Bank of Mexico finds that in the post-second world war period United States inflation has not proven persistent.
Great Depression was different - St Louis Fed
Policymakers must remember that circumstances very different to those that led to the Great Depression had triggered the current crisis, research from the St Louis Federal Reserve states.
Bloomberg sues Fed
Bloomberg, a news agency, filed a lawsuit against the Federal Reserve on Friday, alleging that the central bank had refused to disclose public information.
Washington restructures loan to save battered AIG
The Treasury is to take a $40 billion stake in American International Group (AIG), once the biggest insurance company in the world, as part of a restructuring of the firm's $122.8 billion Federal Reserve loan.
Real and financial sector linked - Fed's Warsh
The US economy will recover sooner than expected if banks are willing to find new ways of lending, said Kevin Warsh, a governor at the Federal Reserve.
Productivity slump triggered subprime woe
The downturn in the US housing sector was triggered by a productivity slowdown that begun in 2004, finds a new paper from the New York Federal Reserve.
Focus of monetary policy research often misplaced
The focus on determinacy in recent monetary policy research is misplaced, Bennett McCallum, an economics professor at Carnegie Mellon University, argues.
Fed acts to enforce benchmark target
The Federal Reserve has moved to correct the disparity between its federal funds target and actual rates by raising the amount of interest paid on excess reserves held at the central bank.
Dollar Libor spreads plummet to pre-Lehman levels
Money-market tensions showed further signs of easing on Wednesday, with the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor) for three-month dollar loans plunging 20 basis points to 2.51%.
NY Fed hires Bear Stearns' risk-management head
The chief risk officer at Bear Stearns, the now-defunct investment bank, has joined the New York Federal Reserve to advise on bank supervision.
Obama win promises to lift some of the gloom
Barack Obama's clear victory in the US presidential election opens a new chapter in America's history. The positive impact of this powerful signal of change on the economy and on central banking should not be underestimated, says Marco Annunziata, the…
Family size related to wealth: St Louis Fed
Richer people tend to have more children, new research from the St Louis Federal Reserve finds.
Policymakers added to volatility: Fed's Lacker
Shifts in expectations regarding the chances of official intervention may have made financial markets more volatile, said Jeffrey Lacker, the president of the Richmond Federal Reserve.
US banks clamp down on loan standards
American businesses are facing ever-more stringent loan conditions from most US lenders tightening standards on the back of the poor economic outlook, Federal Reserve data indicates.
Bernanke: we must support mortgage securitisation
The government has a role in supporting mortgage securitisation during periods of high financial stress, said Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve.
US: debit cards and electronic payments rising
Electronic methods of cheque clearing are rapidly replacing traditional paper methods, reports a new paper from the Federal Reserve Board.
Fed hikes cheque processing costs by 41%
In a bid to encourage the move to electronic processing of cheques, the Federal Reserve will increase its charges for the processing of paper by 41% in 2009.
Fed extends swaps to emerging markets, cuts to 1%
The Brazilian, Mexican, Korean and Singapore central banks on Wednesday became the latest to set up swap arrangements with the Federal Reserve to counter dollar liquidity fears.
Fed rate cut of little consequence?
The Federal Reserve's half-point cut to its key rate - the federal funds target - may have triggered a surge in Asian and European stock prices on Thursday. But the policy change may have little bearing on the cost of borrowing it is meant to influence…